


Bittersweet Reunions

by AngelCakeszee



Series: Linked Universe Fics [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Legend (Linked Universe)-centric, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Major Legend (Linked Universe)/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Marin (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Minor Legend & Twilight bonding, bittersweet fluff, modern day AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29802000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelCakeszee/pseuds/AngelCakeszee
Summary: When a lovely meeting becomes bitter partings before bittersweet reunions follow right behind it. Everything must always be complicated when comes to Legend's and Marin's relationship, even when it takes place in a Modern-Day AU
Relationships: Link/Marin (Legend of Zelda), Sky/Sun (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2084898
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12
Collections: Linked Universe Write-offs!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nova16](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nova16/gifts).



> This is a fic I wrote for LU's Valentines Writing Battle. I had gotten this fic idea from Nova16, a wonderful writer that wrote Their Melody among other amazing fics. This is also a late birthday gift for her to cause I struggle with motivating myself to write sometimes.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy this oneshot, have a good day!

Valentine's day, the day where love is in the air. Friends and couples spend this day as the day where they share their love for one another. During this time, husbands and wives can be seen going on dates. Boyfriends and girlfriends too, or just close tightly-knit friends that are as single as a pringle.

This was also the day that Legend hated the most. His sourness could be felt from within just 20 feet. His friends of course noticed from the moment they showed up to drag him out of his house, ignoring how he cursed at them while Sky smiled brightly, happy to have the whole gang together for their trip to some cafe him and Sun have been raving about for weeks now.

Legend wanted no part in spending the day with his celebratory friends but he was of course given no choice as Warriors grins at him before shoving Legend into the car. "Come Leg, smile for once or you'll become known as the Valentine's Day Grouch." Legend only just glares at him while Wars laughs as he slams the car door to Sky's close before running off to climb into Time's car.

Legend only lets out a huff as he crosses his arms. Staring out the window as he ignores his friend's happy and excited chatter. He hated seeing people being all cutesy with their crushes and spouses. Hated how everything was drenched in pinks and reds. It was disgusting and it made his stomach twist and turn as he tried to forget about the girl that always wore a pink hibiscus in her hair.

The holiday always stops to remind him of what he once had and had lost. It didn’t help that Sky apparently didn’t seem to take notice of how his distant or chose to not acknowledge it when he had decided that the whole gang, including girlfriends, spouses, and single members should all go out together as a way to celebrate Valentine's day.

Staring out the window though didn't help much, only making it easier for him to zone out. Allowing memories from his junior year where he had met a pretty redheaded girl that always wore a pink hibiscus in her hair.

Memories that were still fresh in his mind despite two years have gone and passed since he had last seen her. By now he would have thought the memories would have faded with time.

The memories never faded though. Instead, they only seem to brighten and sharpen even more over time. Each little detail in them yelling and screaming at him as he turns them over his head. Sometimes he wished the memories would fade away. 

Perhaps then he wouldn’t have to deal with the pain that came to remember how her voice sounded when she called his name out in glee. Perhaps then the ghost of how she seemed to fit perfectly into his arms when he would hug or how it felt when she would lay on top of him as they stare up at the night sky and point out the constellations together.

The stars never meant much to him. He never thought much about them. Not until he met her, she had this love, this dream of one day exploring the world. She had this sense of seeing beauty in the smallest of things and this energy that was so fresh and raw to Legend. That her energy had infected him too and made him excited to get up in the morning for the first time in forever after living a monotonous life ever since he was placed into the system.

When his uncle had passed away, Legend never expected anything to be able to change, for anything to come along that would brighten up his sour mood that had been caused by his uncle’s death and constantly being switched from one foster home to the next. 

That all changed when his stupid school decided to shove him into chorus class in his junior year because he needed a two-year performing arts credit without giving him a choice.

Of course, with him being known as the school’s grouch. He didn’t have any friends. No one wanted to hang out with the grouch and he of course didn’t want to hang out with anyone either. Except for her, she had smiled at him kindly when he had first come in as she introduced herself as Marin and that she was the chorus teacher's assistant and began giving him the rundown about the class and how to pass it.

At first, Legend was extremely standoffish towards her. Her kindness only made his shell harden and words to snappier. No matter what though, she would show no sign of being affected by his snappy remarks. Instead, she took everything in stride as she took the time to help him practice memorizing the songs they had to sing.

He of course wasn't interested in singing, not because he was bad at it. Not that he was great either, he just wasn't interested in singing. He was more interested in the sleek, smooth piano that was in the back of the classroom though. Sometimes he would slip up and look longingly at it. Remembering long-lost memories he had forgotten about when his uncle would take the time to teach him how to play the piano.

It was some of his favorite memories of his uncle. It didn't long for Marin to notice his longing looks, he really didn't like how observant the girl was. For once though, he didn't say anything. Didn't even scowl at her when she gave him some piano music sheets to the songs they would be singing.

He doesn't think he had ever seen her smile so brightly at that moment, he had taken his breath away. Seeing her with her eyes bright and a big grin spread across her face.

After that, he mellowed out a bit towards her as he would let her watch him when he was relearning the basics of playing the piano. To everyone else though, he was still pretty snappish and harsh towards them.  But once people began to notice how his sharp edges were softening whenever Marin was around. They stopped taking his snappish comments seriously and would instead laugh and tease him for having a crush on Marin which he would of course deny because someone like him could and would never fall in love.

He soon came to realize how wrong that was when he arrived at one of their performances one day. Only to stop still, dropping the folder that contained his music sheets when he saw Marin standing there, in a black sleeveless dress and a beautiful smile on her face with a hibiscus pinning her red hair like always.

Something in that moment snapped inside of him as he came to a realization when he felt his heart racing in his chest while his hands shook with nerves and were drenched in sweat. It was like he was attending to his first performance all over again, only worse.

After that, seeing Marin always takes his breath away as he realizes that he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her. His smiles and laughter always seemed to throw everyone, including himself off guard. Except for Marin, her smile only brightened, even brighter than he thought was even possible.

He kept quiet about his love for the redheaded girl though, keeping it to himself. Completely convinced that she could never fall for a grouch like him.

And once again, she always knew how to prove him wrong. This time, it was by stealing his first kiss away on Valentine's Day in their junior year. A steal that he had welcomed, It had made his legs feel weak. Her gentle kiss caused his knobbly knees to knock into each other. She pulled away as a scarlet color blossom across her cheeks.  The kiss had lasted only for a few seconds, it felt like time had slowed down around them when he had cupped her face in his hands and brought her back into another gentle kiss that made his face burn and heart sing.

Those moments with her, the time he has spent with her was the happiest he had ever felt. Towards the end, during the moments he didn't realize at the time would be his final moments with her until it was too late. He had noticed that she was acting odd, that she wasn't smiling as bright. That she was acting more and more tired as time passed on. He had tried to ask what was wrong but she only smiled and reassured him that everything was alright.

He hasn't believed her of course, but instead of pushing on it, something that he would soon come to regret. He would just hold her closer to him, kiss her more often and just be around her as much as he could. Willing to wait for whenever she was ready to talk, willing to wait beyond the world had ended if that's how long it took for her to become ready to talk to him.

She never did though. Instead, he came to school one day during their senior year to find out that she had moved. Switched to a different school that was out of state. No one knew why, he didn't know why. She hasn't told him anything, so hurt to see how everyone seemed to turn to him. Expecting to have known why she left, wondering why he was so surprised by her just leaving them all so suddenly without a single word.

Saying that he was devastated was an understatement. Curled back into his shell instantly, the shell that only Marin had ever been broken. This time, the shell was thicker and even harder to break compared to before Marin had entered his life.

Making it extremely hard for anyone to reach out to him. Including his current friends when they had entered his life, that didn't stop them of course. If anything, made them even more annoying as it was almost like they liked the salty side.

Sometimes he wonders though if he was still waiting for Marin to come back into his life. To be able to relive those moments when they would share a kiss, or how she would distract him by pressing a kiss to his pointed ears, something she was always intrigued by as they were so different compared to her round ears.

He could still remember how she seemed to hug him a little tighter during their last moments. The only sign that held onto with a tight grip, hope that all that time they had spent together. That all those kisses and nights they spent cuddling in each other's arms wasn't meaningless to her.

He still hasn't had the heart to delete her number out of his phone. Every time he got a new phone, he would insert her number into his phone. His last texts to her were him asking her if she was alright which he had sent to her right after he had heard she had moved out of state.

He never received a response.

The car came to a stop, snapping Legend out his gloomy musings. A groan escapes him as he forces himself to climb out of the car as quickly as possible to create distance between him and his sappy friends.

He comes to a quick stop though when sees Wind and Tetra run past him, laughing their heads off while an annoyed and flustered Wars chases after them into the cafe with a scowl.

Usually, the sight of an annoyed and flustered Wars would be amusing to Legend. But not even that could get rid of the deep-seated scowl that was painted on Legend's face today.

He was brought out of his thoughts once more when he felt a bump hit his shoulder, he turned his head to see Twilight giving him a sad smile. An understanding smile that Legend wanted to rip from his face. "I know it's hard to enjoy today because of past experiences but it's not good to dwell on it and-" Legend just rolls his eyes and turns away from Twilight, not wanting to hear his sappy cheer-up speech.

Only to then see a flash of red in the corner of his eye, bringing him to turn his head without. The air inside of him was knocked out of him as he came to a sudden halt again right outside of the cafe.

This time, the sight took the scowl right off his face. Leaving behind an expression of pure disbelief on his face. He stares at the beautiful sight of a young woman with long red hair that whipped around her in the wind that billowed around them with a pink hibiscus in her hair. She sat alone on a bench outside of the cafe with two coke bottles in her hands that had been left unopened.

She stares down at her hands with a sad smile, something that Legend wanted to kiss away so badly so then she’ll laugh and giggle in his arms instead. Chasing away all of the sadness off her face. and the sight of her brought hope to blossom inside of his chest before he found himself stopping short.

He pinches his arm, wondering if it was all a dream. The thought sent ice-cold fear running through his chest. He couldn’t bring himself to look away from her, worried that if he blinked, she would disappear into thin air again. Not until he felt a hand clap down onto his shoulder, startling him as he jumped. 

Whipping his head around, he found Twilight standing beside him with a worried look spread across his face. “Leg-”

Legend cut him off as he spat out the first words that came to his mind. “Twilight! I’m not dreaming right now, right? Everything that is happening right isn’t a dream, right? Can you see that girl sitting over there on that bench?” Twilight blinked, feeling a bit of a whip leash that 360 personality change as Legend points to the girl, someone he thought he would never see anywhere but in his dreams again.

“Y-ya, you okay Legend? Do you know her?” Twilight asked as he tilted his head to the side.

Twilight’s responses caused Legend to relax a little before anger surged through him at Twilight’s question as he remembers how the two of them never actually broke up. The realization caused him to pause when he went to open his mouth to answer Twilight’s question. Trying to figure out how to explain this...mess to Twilight with as few words and tears as possible. “She...she is someone I once knew from school before she just...moved away one day without a word,” Legend explains, while understanding seemed to appear on Twilight’s face. It made him frown, not liking how Twilight seemed to understand him so well.

“I see, well you can either continue to stand here and stare at her like a stalker or you try and reconnect with her...or you can walk away and act like you never saw her,” Twilight tells him, only making Legend’s frown deepen as he decides to ignore the jab that Twilight tried to make to lighten up the mood.

Legend looks over his shoulder to see her, still looking as beautiful as always while she continues to stare down at the coke bottles in her hands with a sad smile on her face. He wondered if she was waiting for someone, maybe it was a boyfriend, or perhaps even a girlfriend and they had what they used to have.

“Legend, something that stays between me and you, I had a shot to reconnect with someone I loved once. But I was blinded by my anger and I turned away instead.” Twilight began softly, bringing Legend to look back up at him. Noticing how Twilight didn’t really seem to be looking at him, but more like he was staring at a distant memory that was playing before Twilight’s eyes. “Something that I will regret for the rest of my life. Please, choose the path with the least amount of regrets Legend.”

Throughout his life, Legend has made many mistakes. He has many regrets racked up in the back of his mind that he tries to ignore. The last thing he needed was one last regret to add that pile, especially one that could make everything tip over onto its side.

So with a heavy sigh, he gives Twilight a nod and a faint smile before dropping it as he turns away to face Marin. He rolls his shoulders back, preparing to build back up his usual shell that he used to protect himself from others.

“Twilight, Legend?” Legend jumped, broken out of his focus as he turned his head to see Time walking out of the cafe, towards them. It was then that Legend took notice of how the rest of his and Twilight’s friends were gone and must have gone into the cafe, not realizing that the two of them were left behind. “Is everything alright?”

Twilight flashes Legend a smile, and shoos him away with a wave of his hand before turning around and throwing an arm around TIme’s shoulders, and pushing him away from where Legend stood.

One thing’s for certain, no matter how this ends. Legend definitely owed Twilight for his help, a sigh left Legend at the thought as he turned around to face Marin again. Only to stop still, frozen in place when he finds Marin staring right back at him, her brown eyes wide in shock and disbelief before it transitions to a look of pain and shame. Sadness tugged painfully at Legend’s heart. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her pain away like how he used to. Soothe her to sleep when they would cuddle together in each other's arms, but there wasn't anything he could do when he was struggling to hold back his own tears as the burning sensation made itself known when he opened his mouth to say something, anything to her before closing his mouth shut

The two of them stare at each other for a moment before Main breaks it, tearing her eyes of shame away from him as she swallows. “Please...just something already Legend. Yell at me if you want to. I deserve it, please. Anything but silence Legend. Anything but that, I-I can’t-I-” A sob cuts her off as tears filled her brown eyes. Tearing apart Legend’s heart even more as he bit his cheek and swallowed. Struggling to keep his composure and to keep himself from falling into her arms again.

He can't. He can't risk getting hurt again. He can't allow himself to fall too deeply again.

Not yet at least.

"You left." Legend finally choked out when he felt the tears would be able to escape.

Marin covers her face with the coke bottles. "You're right! I did and I am so sorry Legend! I-I wasn't thinking clearly. There was a lot going on at once and I thought by leaving you I was protecting you but I realized too late that all I did was hurt more than I could have imagined...and I hurt myself."

Legend swallows at that, not quite sure how to feel about the apology. "Why did you leave? What were you protecting me from?"

Marin was quiet as she stared at the coke bottles in her hands with a distant look in her eyes. Long enough to where Legend was beginning to wonder if she was going to answer him.

"Cancer." That caught Legend off guard by surprise, causing his eyes to widen as he saw Marin force a mirthless smile onto her face as tears continued to run down her face as she choked out another sob. "I had brain cancer and I just...couldn't bear to tell you that. I didn't want you to feel like you had to take care of me. So I told you nothing, like a fool and ruined everything we had and...and I understand if you hate me. I hate myself for what I did."

Legend swallows as he hesitates for a moment before his shoulders drop and he gives in and takes a seat beside Marin. "I don't hate you." Legend began after a long sigh as he wiped away Marin's tears with his thumbs. Marin looks up at him in surprise as he tucks her hair back behind her ear. "I'm upset, I'm hurt. Angry even, but I can never hate you, Marin. I love you too much to ever be able to hate and please, never say that you hate yourself."

Marin sniffs as another sob escapes her. "I-I love you to Legend! I love you so much, I-I still do! I-i just...I never thought I was going to be able to see you again. I always told myself when I beat cancer, then I would go and find you but...I beat cancer six months ago and I just...I haven't had the courage to find you and explain everything. I don't think I was ever going to get that courage."

Legend places his hands over Marin's hands that were shaking so hard that she looked like she was ready to drop the coke bottles. "Well, we're here now, together again. Perhaps that's a sign?"

Marin sniffs as she begins to smile. A sight that lifts Legend's heart up with joy. "Perhaps."

"So, what to tell me what's going on with the coke bottles?" Legend asked, causing Marin to grimace as she glanced away shyly.

"Oh, ya. I got nervous as a few friends of mine decided to push me into going on a blind date with one of their friends that I have never met before. They were tired of seeing me trying to hide how miserable I was on Valentine's Day and I got these coke bottles from a gas station my way here to keep my hands busy but also because I thought it would be nice to get to know the mystery boy over coke but then he canceled last minute…" Marin explains simply causing Legend to laugh while Marin's pouts.

"I-I can't say I'm surprised I-" Legend was cut off when Marin elbowed in the stomach causing him to gasp out in surprise while Marin grins at him, stealing the breath right out of him in more ways than one.

Legend coughs as he runs a hand through Marin's hair. He gives her a small smile. "That was a dirty trick."

Marin only smiles. "I only learned from the best of course." Bringing Legend to chuckle.

"Definitely." Legend whispers as he lends forward a little while Marin shifts nervously as she bit her lip.

"Can...can we try again? Is there...any hope for this to be salvaged?" Marin asked, hope shining in her eyes as she stared up at Legend.

Legend swallows at that. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her, to hug her again and her close to him. Just being this close to her again, was intoxicating and made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

_ But what if she leaves him again, without a word, a letter, a message. _

"Will you leave me again?" Legend asked with bated breath as he watches Marin's expressions closely

"Never," Marin stated, immediately as she keeps eye contact with Legend and a look of determination.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Legend smiles as he relaxes. "Then yes, I think we can try again. It'll be slow going but possible." Joy spreads across Marin's face at that as she smiles brightly. Legend takes hold of one of the coke bottles for himself before pulling himself back onto his feet. He holds out a hand to Marin. "Come on, my friends are inside. I would like for you to meet them."

"I would love to," Marin says as she grabs Legend's hand allowing him to pull her up onto her feet, surprising her when he pulls her into a tight hug.

"I missed you…" Legend whispers into her ears while Marin smiles widely.

"I missed you too. More than you could ever know.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the draft version that I wrote during the writing battle. Basically the completely unedited version of this fic.

If there was any holiday Legend hated most, it would defiendly be Valentines day. He hated seeing people being all cutesy with their crushes and spouses. Hated how everything was drenched in pinks and reds. It was disgusting and it made his stomach twist and turn as he tries to forget about the girl that always wore a pink hibiscus in her hair.

The holiday never stops reminding him of what he once had and he doesn't have anymore. It didn’t help that Sky apparently didn’t seem to take notice of how his distan or choosed to acknowledge as he drags all of them, spouses and partners included out to a cafe that him and Sun had been talking about highly for the last few weeks.

Of course, all he did was grumble to himself as Sky drags single ass out of his home. The others laugh as he gumpiness. “Ah come on Vet, no need to be so grouchy!” Wars tells him, which Legend merely rolls his eyes at with a scowl. “It’s Valentine’s day!”

“Ugh,” Was all Legend said as he climbed into the car after Wars with a few of the others while Sky and Sun got into the front seat while the others climbed into Time’s and Malon’s car.

Legend stayed quiet during the car ride, trying his best to block out his friends' conversations as he stared out of the window all gloomy like. This of course made it easier for the memories of his time during his last year of highschool to come back to his mind.

Memories that were years old he could still remember the littlest details of while all other memories seem to fade and blur overtime. His memories of her never do. Instead they only seem to brighten and focus even more over time. Sometimes he wishes they would fade and blur with time. Perhaps then he wouldn’t have to deal with the pain that came to remembering how her voice sounded when she called his name out in glee. Perhaps then the ghost of how she seemed to fit perfectly into his arms when he would hug or when she would lay on top of him as they stare up at the night sky and point out the constellations.

He never cared for the stars, never taught much of them. Not until he met her. She had this love, this dream of one day exploring the world. This energy that was so fresh and new to Legend that it infected him. He was so used to the boring and dull days where nothing ever seemed to change after his uncle’s death and he had been placed into the system.

He never expected for anything to change, for anything to brighten up his sour moods. But then she came along and she forced her away into his heart and he never wanted to let her go. He still remembers the first they had met, the school had decided to drop into the chorus class. A class he didn't have anything to do with but according to the school he needed a performing arts credit to graduate and so he had no choice but to deal with it. 

Of course, with him being known as the school’s grouch. He didn’t have any friends. No one wanted to hangout with the grouch and he of course didn’t want to hangout with anyone either. Except for her, she had smiled at him kindly. She was the chorus teacher’s assistant, having been doing chorus as early as elementary school.

No matter how snappy it would get during the first day or even during that first week. She took everything in stride as she took the time to help him practice memorizing the songs. He wasn’t much of a singer, he didn’t hate it but he didn’t like it either. It just wasn’t his thing and that was something she realized immediately and so she looked to see if maybe he knew how to play an instrument that he played while her and the other kids would sing.

It had been awhile but Legend could still remember the basics his uncle had taught him when it came to playing the piano. Something a part of him had always wanted to get back into but has never been able to while he was in the system, constantly being moved from one house to the next. Fortunately for them the teacher did have a piano in the classroom that he could play and she was more than instastic in letting him play during their songs.

Legend wasn’t sure win but slowly his snappy comments towards the sweet redheaded girl became less and less and soon found himself falling head over heels for her. He hasn’t even realized he was falling over her until one day when he arrived at a chorus performance with his sheet music in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> PS. Coke bottles came from me replaying Pass It on by Kurt Hugo Schneider on a loop on Youtube while I was writing this and is the only reason why they are in this fic because I hate coke. It has a horrible after-taste to it.


End file.
